How to get rid of gophers?

[sparkydm]

Hello all!

I've got striped gophers in my yard, pocket gophers along my driveway(1100'). I have 2 dogs and a 15 month old child so traps and poison are not an option. Is there some sort of non-toxic repellent that will make them move to my neighbor's property? I have been giving the stripeds lead poisoning which is fun but the pockets are nocturnal from what I have heard. Any thoughts? Thanks!

[Fins-n-feathers]

A relative of mine has the same problem and we always use traps with the neighbors on every side haveing dogs and kids running all over the place. We dig up the mound they leave and feel along the walls of the hole until we find the tunnel. We set the trap inside the tunnel and leave the chain sticking out of the hole. We then put a piece of plywood or something over the hole and cover it up with dirt so no light gets in the hole. This also makes it safe for the occasional dog (or child). Be sure to put a stick or stake in the chain so if you do catch something it won't drag itself down the hole and die out of reach.

Helpful hint: if you can find a cross road in the tunnel it really helps.

[SkunkedAgain]

Get a badger and turn it loose. The Badgers always beat the Gophers!

[hotrod1]

LOL

[LwnmwnMan2]

A good dog.

Then your next post can be "How do I easily repair these trenches my dog dug"?

[sparkydm]

Oh yeah. Forgot that part. My Border Collie LOVES to dig up gopher holes. My Aussie has learned this behavior also. Lovely!

[Tom7227]

All the [PoorWordUsage] aside the guy that gave directions on how to trap gave you the straight scoop. Dogs and kids shouldn't be a problem if you do it that way.

[pushbutton]

i have a piece of property that is heavily pressured by development and tried everything. poison was by far the most effective and since i have kids and pets. i still have gophers!!!

[traveler]

elevated blinds...sniper rifle with night vision....gotta go high tech:)

[B. Amish]

follow the step by step guidelines in caddyshack

[Ralph Wiggum]

For pocket gophers, Fins-n-Feathers nailed it. You trap them underground (in fact, I don't know if they even come above ground much), so the trapping operation is pretty darn safe.

[sparkydm]

Thanks for all the replies! I just spoke with Carl and he says to defeat Varmit Cong I need superior intelligence and superior fire power. And that's all she wrote!

[Walleye Guy]

Stick a garden house down the hole and open the spigot. Put your foot over the hole and the hose. Wait until you feel the scratching on the bottom of your shoes. Squish them with your foot as they come out of the hole when you ease your foot off. You will quickly find out if they have multiple holes/escape tunnels. You may need to recruit some extra feet to cover the alternate routes.

[Walleye Guy]

Deleted-Double post

[goblueM]

came here for the caddyshack references ... leaving satisfied

/paint an endzone on your yard to keep them out in the future

[LwnmwnMan2]

Stick a garden house down the hole and open the spigot. Put your foot over the hole and the hose. Wait until you feel the scratching on the bottom of your shoes. Squish them with your foot as they come out of the hole when you ease your foot off. You will quickly find out if they have multiple holes/escape tunnels. You may need to recruit some extra feet to cover the alternate routes.

This will only work if you have very heavy soil.

If you live in an area of sand as I do, you'll never be able to get enough water to build up in the tunnels.

[croixflats]

elevated blinds...sniper rifle with night vision....gotta go high tech:)

LMAO! Thats Hillarious! Caddyshack and The Jerk roled into one. I can see myself walking the dog at night and varmits exploding all around me.

[kudu63]

When I was a kid we had similar problems with some rats in a pole shed that we stored hay in. Once the hay was all out we took a riding lawn mower with some flex tubing connected to the exhaust. Put the other end down the hole and pack dirt around it to seal it off. Start the lawn mower and hit the choke to create some good heavy exhaust fumes. Let it run for a few minutes and then remove tubing and cover the hole. We never had another rat problem since. I would think this would work for gophers as well. Should be safe being your outside in a well vented area.